Lesson from Rachel Dolezal

Sometimes career-related lessons can be learned from watching the news.

Today’s lesson is from Rachel Dolezal, and it’s a big one: Don’t Lie.  The truth has a way of coming to the surface and when it does, you’ll wish you had been truthful from the beginning.

Ms. Dolezal recently resigned her position with the Spokane chapter of the NAACP. For some reason, she felt the need to portray herself as African-American, going to great lengths to do so.

Yet she’s a white woman who lied on at least one job application, as well as to the hiring manager, her boss, friends, and colleagues.  One report stated that she even had her kids lie about her true identity.

She’s been living this lie for years.  And I’m not sure any of us really comprehend why.

It’s my understanding that before this lie was uncovered, she was known for being passionate about racial and social justice.  Under her leadership the NAACP chapter had grown and was accomplishing great things.   It’s a shame that her lie may cause people to forget about her passion and good work, instead remembering her deception and perhaps wondering if she lied about anything else.

And it may harm the reputation of the Spokane chapter, doing more harm than she could have imagined. An organization’s reputation is represented by those who work there. We’ll have to see how this plays out.

While I don’t know Ms. Dolezal, I’m sure she didn’t need to lie to get a job with the NAACP.  It’s a great organization, full of wonderful people who do great work; I’m pretty sure they would have welcomed Ms. Dolezal no matter what her race.  In fact, some of the founding members of the NAACP happened to have been white.

Just in case you need them, here are 4 reasons why you should tell the truth during your job search:

• Your reputation – your personal brand – is at stake.  One slip sooner or later, everyone finds out you’ve been lying, and you’re toast. All your hard work is forgotten. The only thing people remember is that you lied and can no longer be trusted.
• The corporate brand is at stake; the company that hired you.  This is especially true if you are in management or in a public-facing position.  When the truth is uncovered, the company now suffers.
• Your co-workers may be in an awkward position to cover for you, particularly if they know or suspect that you are not being 100% truthful.  Would you want to be treated in the same manner?
• Lying is hard work.  It’s hard to keep up with all the stories, and once you’ve started the lie it snowballs, growing larger until it gets out of control.

Lies. They catch up with you.  Actually it’s the truth that catches up with you, in all its glory.  It’s just much easier to tell the truth from the beginning.